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Louie Anderson’s ABCs: aging, ‘Baskets,’ comedy

Zach Galafianakis as Chip Baskets and Louie Anderson as Christine Baskets in 'Baskets.'

Published February 16. 2020 12:01AM

By Hal Boedeker, The Orlando Sentinel

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Stand-up comedian Louie Anderson holds out the tantalizing prospect of another stage show.

He misses Christine Baskets, the character he played on “Baskets,” the FX comedy that ended in August after four seasons.

“I’ve been thinking about doing an evening with Christine Baskets on life, love and parenthood,” said Anderson, 66. He would take questions from the audience.

“I think to a lot of people, Christine Baskets is a real person,” Anderson said. “I do believe I did all I could to make that part come alive.”

He received three Emmy nominations, winning the first time. Before his stand-up performance, he recaps his career in a tape, and at the end of his act, he discusses “Baskets.”

“I talk about the fact I got the part of my life at 61 years old,” Anderson said. “I always thought I’d get a part that would be great. I just never knew it was going to be a woman.”

In his stand-up, he focuses on things that amuse him, such as a repeated Latin phrase during the Trump impeachment inquiry. “I thought it was so funny that no one could say quid pro quo,” he said. “None of the politicians could say it.”

Anderson mimics Elmer Fudd saying it. The comic also takes some Trumpisms and applies them to his dad.

“I am not playing sides. I don’t do any of that in my act,” Anderson said. “My thing is family. I talk about if my dad were alive, he’d love all this political stuff. That’s the kind of stuff that I always go back to: my family or myself or food or fat or now being over 60, and how happy I am that I’m still alive. That’s a fantastic thing.”

He does a lot of aging material because he’s aging. “Every time you get out of the chair, you’re reminded of your age,” he said. “I make the same identical sounds as my dad did when he got out of his chair. I want to let everyone know I’m getting up and it isn’t easy.”

Yet he’s very busy. He’s trying to bring back “Life With Louie,” the animated series based on his childhood that ran 1995-98.

He’s in “Coming 2 America,” a 2020 sequel to 1988’s “Coming to America” with Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall. Anderson says fans have asked for a sequel for years. “I think it’s going to be a billion-dollar movie. It’s really a great script,” Anderson said.

He hopes to do a live-action show at Fox called “Tigsley.” The title character was his brother’s favorite cat, who could go to the bathroom on the toilet and flush it, and people would come over to watch.

“After I played Christine, I said I don’t think I can play a human again,” Anderson said. “I often feel like a cat.”

He will be in the feature documentary “Comedians and Moms,” and he has “The Louie Anderson Podcast” in which talks to comedians about their lives.

“The journey is the real thing. I’m lucky enough to still be on my journey,” he said. “I’m excited that this would be my 42nd year of doing stand-up comedy and still feel like I’m funny.”

How has he changed with time? “I think I’m a better comic,” he said, adding that he realizes fans made an effort to come see him perform.

“My main goal every show is: Are they getting enough?” he said. “I tend to be doing longer shows. When six or eight people start leaving, I know I’ve been up there too long. I want people to get the most out of this experience.”

His philosophy on aging? “We should try to find the most joy in life, especially when you get older,” he said. “You don’t fret. You can’t find a parking spot, let’s just go back home. That’s what you do when you get older.”

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